This Exam FM sample reference tests Coupon Bond Price Anchored by a Zero Bond. The zero price fixes the maturity discount factor at 0.64. A coupon rate equal to half the yield contributes half of the 0.36 discount margin, so price is 0.82 times face. Face is therefore 780.49, choice A.
These notes identify the calculation error associated with each wrong letter when that error is reproducible.
BChoice B uses a coupon rate slightly above one-half of yield when forming the price coefficient.
CChoice C treats the second bond as though its face were the midpoint of 640 and 1000.
DChoice D applies the one-half multiplier to the redemption term as well as the coupon term.
EChoice E ignores coupon value and rescales only by the zero-bond discount factor.
Original practice · fully worked
Original variant: recover a common zero price
A 1,000-face zero-coupon bond and a 900-face coupon bond share one maturity and annual yield. The coupon bond's annual coupon rate is half the yield, and both bonds sell for the same price P. Determine P.
A 750.00
B 785.71
C 818.18
D 842.11
E 875.00
Variant answer in brief
Writing the common maturity discount as P/1000 makes the coupon-bond price equation linear in P. Solving gives P = 818.18, choice C.
Setup
Setup
The zero price determines the common discount factor.
vn=P/1,000
Model
Model
Price the 900-face bond using coupon rate one-half of yield.
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